Sony World Photography Awards 2013 L’Iris d’Or winner revealed

Sony has announced the full list of winners of its Sony World Photography Awards 2013 photo contest, including the L’Iris d’Or laureate.

Sony and the World Photography Organisation have announced the winner of the Photographer of the Year 2013 contest during the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

Andrea Gjestvang has been awarded the L’Iris d’Or and the Photographer of the Year 2013 title, thanks to her outstanding portraits of students injured in the 2011 Norway attacks. Credits: Andrea Gjestvang.

Andrea Gjestvang wins Sony World Photography Awards 2013 L’Iris d’Or and becomes Photographer of the Year 2013

Without further introduction, Andrea Gjestvang from Norway has been unanimously selected as the winner of the L’Iris d’Or, $25,000 cash prize, and plenty of camera gear from Sony.

Andrea is a very young photographer, but this has not stopped her from collecting the award. Her work has been recognized by all judges, who have decided that she has done a great job in portraying the survivors of the 2011 Utoeya massacre.

The 2011 Norway attacks are well known around the world. First, a car has exploded near the government’s building in capital city, Oslo, while two hours later the terrorist behind the attacks, Anders Behring Breivik, has killed 69 participants at a summer camp in Utoeya (Utøya Island).

Gjestvang’s series of photos consists of portraits of the young people who have survived the terrorist attacks. It is called “One Day in History” and it has already won other prestigious awards, while being featured in many popular publications and exhibitions.

Hoang Hiep Nguyen has originally won the Enhanced category, but the judges have selected him as the overall Open Photographer of the Year 2013. Credits: Hoang Hiep Nguyen.

Hoang Hiep Nguyen grabs Open Photographer of the Year 2013 title

Sony has also revealed the winners of the photo contest’s other categories. Ten winners from ten subcategories in the Open category had been selected on a previous date. However, the Open Photographer of the Year 2013 is Hoang Hiep Nguyen from Vietnam.

The Vietnamese photographer had previously won the Enhanced category, but his photo of young girl sitting in a storm had been enough to grant him a $5,000 prize and a Sony A77 camera.

Young Photographer of the Year 2013 title has been awarded to Romanian photographer Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi. Credits: Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi.

Romania’s Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi awarded Overall Youth Photographer of the Year 2013 prize

The WPO has announced the Overall Youth Photographer of the Year 2013 from a shortlist of three people. However, the winner is Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi from Romania, who is currently studying in the United Kingdom.

Legendary photographer William Eggleston recognized by the WPO with Outstanding Contribution to Photographer 2013 award

William Eggleston has collected the Outstanding Contribution to Photographer 2013 award. The American photographer is one of the most popular in the world and his artwork has inspired a lot of younger lensmen.

Thanksgiving by Natalia Wiernik is one of the photos which will bring a substantial prize to the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. Credits: Natalia Wiernik.

Student Focus Photographer of the Year 2013 headed to Natalia Wiernik and Poland’s Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts

The Student Focus Photographer of the Year 2013 has been elected from more than 230 universities across the world. However, only one of them got the prize. Natalia Wiernik is the laureate along with her university, Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow, Poland. The university will be awarded Sony digital products worth €35,000.

Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards 2013 have also been announced

Sony and the WPO have a common partner called Kraszna-Krausz. As a result, the 2013 Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards have also been presented and two winners have been chosen.

The two books are “Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath” and “Best Moving Image Book Award – Hollywood Costume”. The former is the work of Yale University Press’ Will Michels, Anne Wilkes Tucker, and Natalie Zest, while the latter is the effort of V&A Publishing’s Deborah Nadoolman Landis.

They will share a £10,000 cash reward for the best photography books of the year.

Professional category winners list revealed

Last but not least, the Professional category winners have been announced. The lists consists of 15 categories hence 15 winners, as follows:

1. Adam Pretty from Australia in Sport;
2. Alice Caputo from Italy in Lifestyle;
3. Andrea Gjestvang from Norway in People (also the overall winner, as stated above);
4. Christian Åslund from Sweden in Campaign;
5. Fabrice Fouillet from France in Architecture;
6. Gali Tibbon from Israel in Travel;
7. Ilya Pitalev from Russia in Current Affairs;
8. Jens Juul from Denmark in Portraiture;
9. Klaus Thymann from Denmark in Fashion;
10. Myriam Meloni from Italy in Arts and Culture;
11. Nenad Saljic from Croatia in Landscape;
12. Satoru Kondon from Japan in Nature and Wildlife;
13. Roman Pyatkovka from Ukraine in Conceptual;
14. Valerio Bispuri from Italy in Contemporary Issues;
15. Vanessa Colareta from Peru in Still Life.

All of the above have been flown to the ceremony in London and they have been awarded a Sony A99.

The photo contest will be back soon with more prizes, more photos, and more talented photographers.